Cessna TR182 accident near Lamar, Colorado, December 24, 1988
On December 24, 1988 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N757MU, was destroyed in an accident near Lamar, Colorado (Lamar Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 1988 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lamar, Colorado · Lamar Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N757MU · no longer on the register · serial R182201248
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS MAKING A VFR APPROACH FOR LANDING. THE LANDING GEAR WAS LOWERED AND FULL FLAPS WERE DEPLOYED. THE PILOT SAID HE ALLOWED THE AIRSPEED TO GET TOO LOW AND THE AIRCRAFT STALLED. THE NOSE AND LEFT WING DROPPED AND THE PILOT ADDED FULL POWER. THE NOSE ROSE SLIGHTLY BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PILOT COULD NOT RECALL HIS APPROACH SPEED. ADDITIONALLY, HE COULD NOT GIVE THE AIRCRAFT'S WINGS-LEVEL, FULL-FLAP STALL SPEED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 991 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 961 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 760 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1988; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RKS Rock Springs WY at 2:10 pm
- Destination: BGD Borger TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 6,304 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from 4LJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.